2. I Am Legend

Take your pick of which adaptation of Robert Matheson’s massively-influential sci-fi/horror novella “I Am Legend” you prefer: Vincent Price’s cheesy black-and-white The Last Man on Earth (made in 1964, set in 1968), Charlton Heston’s Omega Man (made in 1971, set in 1977 Los Angeles), or more recently, the Will Smith-starring I Am Legend (made in 2007, set in 2012 New York). But no matter where or when it takes place, the core story stays the same: a deadly plague of vampirism wipes out mankind as we know it, leaving one man alone to resist the terrible encroachment of packs of thirsty bloodsuckers. And yet despite Hollywood’s insistence, the vampires still haven’t finished us off, although they came pretty close with the Twilight franchise. Where was Robert Neville when you needed him?